GAPS Legal Refried Beans

I was surprised to discover that one of the foods I missed the most when we started GAPS was re-fried beans. I solved that with the following recipe, they even look like re-fried beans plus they are loaded with broth so that makes them even better :) 

8 cups soaked white beans (as I've mentioned in other posts, when I soak beans I soak a 

             bunch and store them in pre-measured bags in the freezer soaked and ready to cook.)

1 large onion finely diced 

4 large cloves crushed garlic

Bone Broth (beef or chicken is fine) 4-8 cups

Tallow for sauteing the onion and garlic and for "frying" the beans (refined     

    coconut oil will work too but tallow gives a nicer flavor. You don't want to use raw coconut oil 

    bc your beans will have a hint of coconut flavor to them)

DIY taco seasoning to taste

Salt (Himalayan or Celtic) to taste

Cheese to melt on top for serving if desired

In a large pot bring the beans to a boil, reduce and simmer until they are completely tender and mushy. Do NOT add any salt to the water while they are simmering!! This is very important bc if you do they will never get totally soft, they will always have a  bit of a crunch to them.

While the beans are simmering away (which takes a while) saute the onions and garlic in tallow or coconut oil in a large frying pan. Also in a small sauce pan reduce (by simmering) two cups of broth until until you have about a half a cup of a slightly thick, dark golden brown paste/liquid left in the pan. 

Once your beans are soft and mushy, drain any remaining liquid from them and add them to the frying pan with the garlic and onion adding more tallow or oil as needed to "fry" them. Now mash them with either a potato masher or an immersion blender adding broth as needed until you reach the desired consistency (taste them and you'll know). White beans are dryer than pintos so you might find you need more broth than you would expect to make them nice and creamy tasting. Add the reduced broth, salt and taco seasoning and serve with melted cheese (optional of course). Use them on taco salads, or make burritos with them using cheese salsa and coconut flour crepes / tortillas (these crepes are a staple in our home that I try to always have on hand both in the fridge and in the freezer as they are so handy to use for all sorts of things),  make quesadillas using the crepes and cheese and serve them with these beans, make a bean dip from them by adding cheese and salsa... 

I love that these are an easy, versatile, nutritious, filling AND affordable food to incorporate into my meals :)

So Good, Honey and Apricot Spiced Chicken

This is soooo tasty and wonderful! Even my husband who doesn't usually like fruit and meat together (I think he's crazy!) likes this one. 

The other thing I like about this is that it's easy to throw together even if I forget to get the chicken out of the freezer ahead of time ;)

3-4 lbs chicken thighs (or whatever part of the chicken you prefer)

2 cups dried apricots

1/4-1/2 cup capers (adjust according to your liking)

1/3-1/2 cup honey (this is very approximate, I'll explain below, also if you're not on GAPS 

   grade B maple syrup is WONDERFUL in place of the honey)

1 tsp good salt 

1/2 inch or so slice of fresh ginger (or a few drops ginger essential oil)

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon (or a couple drops Cassia essential oil)

1/2 tsp fennel powder (or a couple drops fennel essential oil)

1/2 tsp ground star anise

1/2 tsp ground cloves 

1 tsp (or more if your family likes spice) chilli paste

(PLEASE remember, these measurements are just a guess, if it sounds like too much or too little of something to you, use less or more and taste it after mixing to see how you like the flavor, remembering of course that it will taste quite different once cooked but the flavors should be pretty balanced with the apricot and ginger being the strongest)

Put all but the chicken, capers and honey into your food processor, now drizzle enough honey over these ingredients to glaze everything and add some moisture to help it move around the food processor easily, process until well mixed . Place the chicken in a glass baking dish and spoon the capers over the chicken.  Now spoon the apricot mixture over the chicken and capers, drizzle with a bit more honey and bake until done (about an hour or so if the meat is thawed,  much more if frozen ;) )

This is wonderful served with cauliflower rice (real rice or quinoa if not on GAPS) and some mixed sauteed veggies.

Honey Custard (dairy free)

This is a very simple, delicious rich yummy dessert or we even like it for breakfast with fresh fruit. 

This also makes a great baby food if you omit the honey and use extra egg yolks instead of whole eggs.

2 cups full fat or homemade coconut milk, the richer the milk the better.  (use  

   whole raw milk if not on GAPS or allergic to dairy)

4 large organic and pastured eggs

1/3 cup honey

1T gelatin

1 good splash vanilla

In a large sauce pan dissolve the gelatin in part of the coconut milk, add the rest of the ingredients and stir constantly as it cooks until it thickens. Pour into cups or small dishes and dust with nutmeg, chill until set. 

If not on GAPS this is amazing with a bit of maple syrup drizzled over the top ;) 

Mexican Lasagna (Grain Free) and DIY Taco Seasoning

This is a super easy yummy dinner. This will make one large casserole or two 9x13 casseroles)

Brown 5 lbs hamburger (or 5 lbs hamburger plus one pound pureed liver mixed in. Also you can sub some of the hamburger for grated dried summer squash if you like. I don't like to freeze my excess summer squash so I grate it and dry it in the dehydrator. It is great to have on hand for soups stews casseroles.... It is a good ground beef extender.)


with one large onion and 3-4 large garlic cloves

Season to taste with Taco seasoning (see below for recipe)


You'll need 8-10 grain free Tortillas (I use this recipe here. These are a staple in our home that I try to always have on hand in the freezer ready for use, we use them in all kinds of recipes)

2 quarts tomatoes I use home canned but diced fresh or store bought in a BPA free can will work the same. (Drain most of the liquid, if using fresh you will have excess liquid in your casserole but it won't effect the flavor and personally I don't mind it, sometimes I'll drain it off and add it to a soup later.


about two cups?? yoghourt cheese (or cream cheese)


1 can green chillies (or more, I'd use two if I were making this for my husband and I only, but two is too much for the kids)


grated cheddar cheese (about six cups??) (a bit of Parmesan mixed in is good too)


green onion and cilantro

Sour cream and/or guacamole for garnish 


spread a nice layer of yoghourt cheese on each "tortilla" and spread the green chillies on top of the yoghourt cheese. 

In your casserole dish (or dishes) layer the meat mixture, prepared tortillas, cheese and tomatoes. Top the last layer with cheddar cheese and garnish with green onions. bake until its bubbly, hot all the way through and the cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream, guacamole and fresh cilantro on top.

To make your own taco seasoning mix together:

4 T chilli powder 
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
2 t paprika
2 T ground cumin
2 T coriander
1 T plus 1t good salt (I prefer Himalayan)
1T plus 1 t black pepper
1 t dried oregano *I prefer to omit this ingredient and add oregano essential oil to whatever it is I'm cooking bc the flavor is so much better but if you don't have oregano oil on hand to use then add the dried to your seasoning mix.  

Store in a jar to have on hand whenever you need it.

Simple All Pourpose Spray Cleaner

This is pretty much the cleaner I use for everything. It works great, smells great, is so simple and super cheap.

Before you can make your spray cleaner you'll need to put a gallon of cheap white vinegar in a glass jar and add citrus peels to it, I save my citrus peels in the freezer for this purpose.  I let this sit in my pantry for at least a week before using (though longer is nicer). Sometimes I strain it, sometimes I don't, I haven't found that it really matters. You can certainly make less than a gallon, I just prefer to make a gallon at a time so I always have it on hand.

Now to make the spray cleaner I add about an inch of this citrus infused vinegar to a large spray bottle (the kind you kind find in the garden dept. called plant sprayers)

Fill the bottle the rest of the way with water and add some essential oils. 

It really is that simple. Occasionally if I have a super greasy job to do (like the oven vent) I'll add some Sals Suds or liquid dish soap (just a few drops)  but I don't find that for everyday use its necessary.

Beef Breakfast Sausage

This recipe was adapted from a turkey sausage recipe I got from a friend years ago. Since I don't have access to affordable, quality, ground turkey,  I have adjusted and tweaked that original recipe to use with our hamburger meat instead.

For every pound of grass fed hamburger add:

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp rubbed sage

1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp sea salt

ground black pepper to taste

1 or 2 large cloves of garlic crushed

I usually cook a tiny bit in a small pan after mixing it to make sure I don't need to adjust the seasoning but otherwise that's all there is to it.

I prepare about ten pounds of this at a time. Some I fry up ground to freeze and have on hand for soups, casseroles and such then I make the rest into patties which I keep in the freezer to fry up when ever needed for breakfast.

Because I can't eat eggs, my staple breakfast is one of these patties simmered in broth with squash or whatever leftover veggies I have on hand.

White Bean and Chicken Stew

This is the perfect winter comfort food, but we like it so well we eat it throughout the year and unfortunately even though its June, here in Central Oregon it feels like "soup weather" today (personally though, I think any weather is soup weather).

To make this simply throw all the ingredients in the crock pot and let it cook all day.

From experience I can tell you it is crucial that you remember to both turn on AND plug in the crock pot in order to come home to cooked meal, oh yes and putting the lid on the crock pot is crucial too ;) 

3-4 cups white beans that have been soaked overnight in water with a splash of whey in it (whenever I soak beans I always soak as many as I can at once then I freeze the soaked beans in four cup packages so I always have soaked beans ready to use.)

3-4 lbs uncooked organic pastured chicken thighs (boneless is nice if you access to good boneless chkn thighs, however bc I prefer to use the meat we raise and I've no clue how to de-bone a chicken, I have made this with thighs with the bones in. It's really not a big deal for our family to pick the bones out once its cooked and I figure it adds to the nutritional quality of the meal to have them in anyway.)

5-6 cups homemade chicken broth

1 can green chillies (from BPA free cans) 

3 large cloves of garlic crushed

1 large onion diced

About 1/4 tsp cayenne (adjust according to how hot your family likes their food)

1 good tsp paprika

1 heaping tsp coriander

2 tsp cumin

2-3 drops oregano essential oil

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

about 1 tsp sea salt

 

We garnish this with any combination of the following; finely chopped cabbage, fresh cilantro, diced onion or green onion,  diced avocado, sour cream, cheddar cheese and sometimes some fresh diced up tomatoes too :)